Loose-leaf binder.



S. J. PRIDGBN & E. CLARKE.

LOOSE LEAF BINDER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 13. 1910.

Patented May 9, 1911.

ins c0. wAnumamN, n. c.

SAMUEL J. PRIDGEN AND ELWYN CLARKE, OF ATLANTA, GEORGIA.

LOOSE-LEAF BINDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 9, 1911.

Application filed August 13, 1910. Serial No. 577,092.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, SAMUEL J. PRIDGEN and ELWYN CLARKE, citizens of the United States, residing at Atlanta, in the county of Fulton and State of Georgia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Loose-Leaf Binders; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in binders generally known as loose leaf binders, in which prepared perforated leaves may be placed within or taken out of any portion of the bound book, without disturbing the other leaves therein.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a comparatively inexpensive article which is durable, neat in appearance and effective in not only binding the leaves together, but in binding them in such manner that the leaves will lie smoothly and evenly therein without the edges of one leaf proj ecting beyond the other, as is so frequently the case in binders of this type.

Other objects and advantages will appear from the following description and drawings and the particular features of novelty will be pointed out more succinctly in the claims.

It will be understood that the invention is not limited to the exact details shown and described, but for the purpose of disclosure reference is hall to the accompanying drawings illustrating a practical and preferred embodiment of the invention, in which drawings like characters designate the same parts in the several views, and in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of the sev eral parts in their position to be assembled. Fig. 2 is an end View in elevation of the binder in its closed position. 3 is'a view in elevation at right angles to Fig. 2 looking at the locking posts, a side wall of which is broken away to show the interior arrangement. Fig. 4 is a cross section of the binder in its distended position, the section being taken on a line through the guiding plates and binding posts.

The invention consists of a rigid back member associated with top and bottom members slidably connected with said'back member, said top and bottom members being provided with cooperating locking posts and binding posts.

In the drawings the back member is illustrated as comprising a rectangular hollow member having slots 2 in its upper and lower edges to receive the oppositely disposed guiding members or plates 3 and 4: mounted on the rigid strips 5 and 6, preferably of metal, said guiding members being provided with inturned and out-turned lips 7 and 8, adapted to engage each other and prevent the parts from becoming separated when operated, it being understood that plates 3 and 1 lie adjacent each other. The rigid strips 5 and 6 terminate at a position indicated at 9 (Fig. 2) and slipped over these edges are stiffened members 10 of leather or other suitable material flexing at the position 9, and these strips 10 may be extended or secured to a rigid top and bottom cover.

Carried by the strips 5 and 6, and preferably adjacent the guiding plates 7 and 8 are similarly disposed male and female binding posts 11 and 12, and the male posts 11 are preferably enlarged a short distance as at 13, so as to have an exterior diameter the same as the exterior diameter of the female posts, whereby when the binder is closed the aperture of all of the leaves will fit a support of the same diameter at the top as at the bottom, securing uniform adjustment.

Carried at the ends of the strips 5 and 6 are oppositely disposed locking posts and in the construction illustrated these consist of male and female posts, the male posts being provided with ratchet teeth 14 adapted to be engaged by a spring operated pawl 15 carried on the exterior of the female posts and projecting therein through an opening 116 in the wall thereof. The spring of this pawl as shown consists of a flat resilient member bowed outwardly as at 17 and cooperating with a slide 18 surrounding the female posts. \Vhile the various posts are preferably arranged as shown in the drawings, it is obvious that their position relatively to each other may be interchanged with some of the male posts on one member and some on the other, but this is obviously immaterial.

In operation, as more clearly shown in Figs. 2,3 and 4, it would be observed that the plates 3 and l rigidly but slidably con nect the top and bottom members with the back, and in their distended positions are prevented from further displacement by inturned and out-turned lips. From Fig. 8 it will also be observed that the top and bottom members are held snugly against the contained leaves by the action of the interlocking posts, and when it is desired to take out or insert a leaf the sliding member 8 is moved downwardly from the position shown in Fig. 3, which will spring the pawl outwardly and allow the top and bottom members to be distended. 1

Having described'our invention, what we claim is 1. In a loose leaf binder, the combination of a rigid back, top and bottom members provided with guiding plates slidably con nected to said back, interlocking posts carried by said members and male and female binding posts carried by said members, said male posts being longer than said female posts and having enlarged circumferential heads of a diameter equal to the external diameter of said female posts, substantially as described.

2. In a loose leaf binder, the combination ratchet teeth and sliding means on said female posts operating between said posts and said spring pawls, substantially as described.

3. In a loose leaf binder, the combination of a rigid back comprising an elongated holtom edges, top and bottom members provided with guiding plates registering with and operable through said slots, binding posts carried by said top and bottom members and interlocking posts carried by said top and bottom members, substantially as described.

-l. In a loose leaf binder, the combination of a rigid back comprising a hollow elongated member having slots in its top and bottom edges, top and bottom members provided with guiding plates having inturned and out-turned lips at their free ends, said plates registering with and operable through said slots, and said inturned and out-turned lips being oppositely disposed in the same path, binding posts carried by said top and bottom. members and interlocking posts carstantially as described.

1 In testimony whereof, we affix our signa tux-es, in presence of two witnesses.

SAMUEL J. PRIDGEN. EIIWYN CLARKE.

Witnesses 2 C. BLU'M, 1V CARROLL LATIMER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. i r

low member having slots in its top and botried by said top and bottom members, sub- 1 

